1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ice cream scooper and more particularly to an automatic ice cream scooper which cuts and removes the container wall as the ice cream is removed.
2. Discussion of the Background
Traditionally, ice cream is packed in three to five gallon cylindrical cardboard containers. In order for the ice cream to be removed, it is common to use a hand scooper to remove one scoop at a time, and to place the scoop into a cone, a dish, or a container for making a shake. However, this hand operation is slow and causes the hands and wrists of the person doing the scooping to be subjected to stress. In addition, there is some concern for contamination of the product since the hand scooper is often used repeatedly.
A number of devices that have been suggested in the past to make this operation automatic and to reduce the stress on the hands of the merchant or his employee making the scoop and to make the operation faster for the convenience of the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,077 shows one such device where a brick of ice cream is unwrapped and placed in a container vertically. A cover 36 is allowed to slide horizontally in and out so as to remove a slice of the ice cream without being handled by any person.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,163 shows another arrangement where a cylindrical tub of ice cream is placed vertically between two posts and clamped into place. A motor rotates the tub while a knife assembly 60 is placed against the container wall. The container is first cut by the knife assembly and then a slice of ice cream having a similar thickness is cut using a wire 42.
Another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,107 where a tub of ice cream B is placed on rotatable table 17 and the table is driven by a motor and gearing arrangement. Cutting elements 23 cut into the surface of the ice cream as the table is rotated. The ice cream which is removed slides down chute 25 and is fed by screws 27 and 30 into a smaller container which is sold to the customer.
While each of these devices provides a system for moving the ice cream without using a hand scooper, they have generally been found to be unsatisfactory in terms of ease of use, speed of operation and effectiveness. Accordingly, systems which overcome these difficulties are desirable.